This year for Thanksgiving my mother-in-law suggested putting together a traditional American celebratory meal for the holiday. Convinced that this was purely for my benefit, and feeling that perhaps no one else here knows what a 'traditional' Thanksgiving dinner means exactly, I quickly offered to assist with planning the menu and making the food.
Part of me is very excited, the part that gets to enjoy making the food and then stuffing my face. Another part of me is a bit trepidatious, the part that had to see everyone's facial expressions as I threw out a few menu suggestions. Green bean casserole illicited nervous looks, sweet potato casserole brought on confusion, the mention of mashed potatoes resulted in general disappointment, and I can't even do justice to the looks of disgust that appeared when I spoke of my grandma's famous Jewel salad made with Jell-o.
So...please, please, please help the American in GB and send me your yummiest suggestions for what to eat this Thanksgiving! I'm sure it will be an unforgettable holiday for everyone here!
10 comments:
Pulling out the family recipie book:
Green Bean Casserole
3/4 c. milk
1/8 tsp pepper
10 3/4 oz can Cream of Mushroom soup
2 (9 oz) pkgs frozen cut green beans thawed (or 3 cans drained french cut green beans)
1 1/3 cups French Fried Onions
In 1 1/2-qt. casserole, mix all ingredients except 2/3 cup French Fried Onions. Bake 30 mins. at 350 or until hot. Top with remaining onions and bake 5 mins until golden.
Pumpkin Pie:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 c. solid pack pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 c undiluted evaporated milk
1 9-inch fluted pie crust
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine filling ingredients in order given; pour into pie shell. Bake 15 min. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake additional 45 min or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool; garnish, if desired, with whipped topping.
Pistacio Salad (Green Stuff):
20 oz can undrained crushed pineapple
Sm Pkg Pistacio Instant Pudding Mix
12 oz Cool Whip
1 c small mini marshmellows
1/2 c chopped nuts
Mix and refrigerate!
Crown Jewel Jello: (Grandma Ethel Berg)
Prepare separately: 1 pkg raspberry jello, black cherry jello using 1 c hot water and 1/2 c cold water each. Pour into shallow pans and chill until firm. Cut into 1/2" cubes. Make a fluffy filling by heating 1/4 c sugar with 1 c canned unsweetened pineapple juice to boiling. Dissolve 1 pkg. strawberry jello in the hot liquid add 1/2 c cold water. Chill until just syrupy. Whip 2 c cream folw into syrupy jello. Fold in to little jello jewels. Set.
Grandma's note on the recipie said she used more jello cubes by adding colorful jello to the dessert mixture. Instead of the two jello, whe used at least four finds.
She also noted that you can make a pie: Line 2- 9" pie plates with Lady Fingers (about 2 pkgs) and pour in the jello mixture. Chill 4 hours. I never tried this one!
Stuffing:
3 bags bread crumbs (seasoned)
2 heads of celery
3 onions
2 cubes (sticks) butter
Turkey broth (from cooked giblets)
Melt butter- saute onions and celery. Pour over top of bread cubes, add 2 tsp poultry seasoning or thyme/sage; mix, add broth until moist.
Sweet Roll Dough:
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/2 c warm water (105-115 degrees)
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c shortening, margerine, or butter softened
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 1/2 - 4 c flour
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, shortening, salt, eggs, and 2 c of the flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 mins. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated 3 to 4 days). Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 2 hours. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched. Rising time may be slightly longer for refrigerated dough)
Punch down dough. Cover with inverted bowl; let rest 15 - 20 mins. Shape into 2' round balls and place in the greased 9x13 pan. brush the top of each ball with butter; let rolls double in size and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
I had the same idea: I really love Thanksgiving and I want to celebrate it, but I am not sure where I will be able to find all the necessary ingredients to make a feast. I work on the 25th so we're thinking of celebrating the following Tuesday and Wednesday (my days off) and we'd like to come down, but we're figuring out the logistics. We'll keep u posted. Go for the stuffed turkey, cranberry sauce, roasted sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie...you can't go wrong!
Hey Karin!
Here are a few suggestions from me, and of course my wonderful cook Danny. As far as the Turkey goes, I liked Ina Garten "The Barefoot Contessa" recipe. It is really easy to do and the turkey is moist and very flavorful. Here is the link for the recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-roasted-turkey-breast-recipe/index.html
We would also recommend the Parker House Rolls. It was in the Food Network Magazine.
Ingredients
2 1/4 teaspoon dry active yeast
1/2 cup warm water (bath water temp)
1/2 cup sugar
7 1/2-8 cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups whole milk, room temperature
2 large eggs
Sprinkle yeast in a bowl, add water and sugar, let sit a minute, then mix in 1 cup flour, set aside.
Mix butter and milk together add eggs, blend well. Add yeast mixture. Add 6 1/2 cups flour and upto 7 cups if needed. Place dough in greased bowl allow to rise 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until they double in size.
Roll dough out in large triangle. Cut down the middle long ways (hot dog style) then cut the 12 strips going the other way, so you have 24 little rectangles, fold each rectangle a 1/3 of the way over and then over again, place on baking sheet and bake 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Top baked rolls with butter and sprinkle with kosher salt. Enjoy
What about making your Mexican salad? I think I told you that has become a staple at our place! I absolutely love that recipe of yours. You could consider it a new twist on yams???
I would leave a recipe but I am not a cook, just a baker. It's all sweet stuff!
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